But many cities and towns still have a long way to go, and for some journeys in the U.S., there’s simply not a safe cycling route.įor our tests, all riders used each bike equally to average out any differences in performance due to weight, riding level, and style. “Cities are starting to get serious about building good infrastructure that’s safe and comfortable for to use,” says Christopher Cherry, Ph.D., a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “The safety issues we see with bicycles we also see with e-bikes,” Lommele says. If you’re buying or even renting an electric bike, make sure you also get (and wear) a bike helmet that fits properly.įinally, think about whether it is safe to ride where you live. That difference tends to be greater on uphills. One more thing to keep in mind: While a serious cyclist on a nonelectric racing bike can speed past a person on an e-bike, on average, people riding e-bikes go about 3 mph faster than someone on a traditional bike, MacArthur says. Some cities also have e-bike rentals or e-bike shares, so you can see how you like e-bikes in general before deciding whether you might want to buy one. A shop can also help make sure a bike is properly fitted to your height and riding style. If your local bike shop sells e-bikes-as many now do-give a few a test ride before you buy one, Deitrick recommends. Some e-bikes come with both pedal assist and a throttle. You might have to try some e-bikes in person to figure out whether you’d prefer riding one with pedal assist (where the electric boost kicks in automatically as you pedal) or with a throttle (where you can get a boost by twisting or pushing a mechanism on the handlebars, even if you’re not pedaling). “You can have an e-bike that’s a great electric vehicle but a terrible bike,” Deitrick says. Some of the bikes we tested were almost unrideable without the charged assist function, while others made for a pleasant ride with or without a boost.

“The electric assist is important, but the bicycle itself is important, too,” Deitrick says.Ĭompared with nonelectric bikes, e-bikes tend to be heavy. You should also keep in mind how a bike rides when it’s not charged-especially if you need to cover long distances, or if you won’t always be able to charge it fully between rides.

On our hilly course, the bikes we tested went between 15 and 30 miles before running out of juice-though that range is even wider when you look at the whole e-bike market, and also varies depending on how and where you ride.

Next, think about what you want to use an e-bike for, and how far you’ll need it to go on a charge, says Bernie Deitrick, who leads CR’s electric bike testing.

Genesis 29 inch mountain bike